In this first installment of the series, which I purchased during a 99-cent promo, we meet investigative reporter Will Finch, who is surely a complex and interesting protagonist. Working for a newly digital-only San Francisco paper, we find Will just out of a rehab center following the tragic death of his son, Buddy, which left Will an alcoholic mess. But now he’s ready to dive back into work, and his first story turns out to be a doosy.

Will had interviewed the chief financial officer of a hedge fund run by the family of a powerful Senator, who may be on the take. During a federal investigation, the CFO had flipped on the family and agreed to testify for the prosecution. Then, two weeks before the start of the trial, the CFO is found on a remote mountain road in northern Oregon — killed and eaten by a brown bear. Will is dispatched to get the full story and to see if there is more involved than an accident of nature. Will quickly determines that there is, indeed, much more to the story. It turns out that the Senator’s family owns a large wilderness lodge in the nearby town. So, what was the turncoat witness doing visiting the powerful family from which he was now estranged? And when the local medical examiner questions whether the scene of the accident is entirely consistent with the accidental bear encounter story, Will is ready to dive in head first.

The story is compelling and has a few twists, but it is generally linear and fairly obvious from the moment we learn the odd facts connected to the crime scene. Will is able to get witnesses to give up key information without much struggle, he somehow finds key evidence at the crime scene (which was not very plausible, and not really necessary), and when the pieces fall neatly into place, the corrupt local sheriff is the obvious suspect and fall guy. There is an exciting climax, which occurs when Will makes a very obviously bad decision, there is an obligatory quickie romance for Will, and the formula comes together pleasantly, but without a ton of suspense. The bad guys do stupid things, Will is able to make some questionable leaps of logic, some key evidence falls into Will’s lap, and the story gets written.

In this first installment of the series, the author tends to do a lot of head-hopping as the POV of many chapters bounces between characters, which may be cleaned up in later stories. The ending sets up a clear sequel, which does not suggest that the story of Bone Maker isn’t self-contained — it is. There are a few typos, but the writing is mostly clean and easy to read. I enjoyed this story as a vacation read and it’s certainly a page-turner. I would have liked a little more ambiguity, mystery, and suspense, but like a good TV movie, it draws you in and when the story is done you feel pretty good about watching. I’m not sure if I’ll be running out to buy the next book in the series, but if you have the chance to pick this one up like I did for 99-cents, it’s definitely worth loading onto your Kindle.